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Earn up to 5% Cash Back with the BBVA Compass NBA Credit Card

Richard Kerr
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Richard Kerr is the Loyalty and Engagement Editor for The Points Guy focused on creating content that educates and empowers TPG readers.
Jan. 15, 2016
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3 min read
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Earn up to 5% Cash Back with the BBVA Compass NBA Credit Card
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Every now and then, a bank comes up with a clever marketing scheme to attract a given fan base to a product. Last year, BBVA Compass did this with the BBVA Compass NBA Credit Card from American Express, offering 5x points on all spending during the February NBA All Star Weekend and the NBA Finals in June. The bank is repeating this promotion in 2016.

The NBA American Express Credit Card has no annual fee and is currently offering a limited-time sign-up bonus of 20,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days of account opening. Points can be utilized for one of a few basketball-specific redemptions, but are really worth their weight in the form of 1% cash back. The card earns:

  • 5x points on all purchases, including non-NBA-related items, during the NBA All-Star Weekend and two weeks of the NBA finals
  • 3x points on transactions for qualifying NBA tickets, NBA in-stadium transactions and NBAStore.com transactions
  • 2x points at gas stations and supermarkets

The 5x points category is the kicker, as during the All-Star Weekend and two whole weeks of the finals you earn 5% cash back on all spending — everywhere — uncapped. Considering that All-Star Weekend is just a few weeks away — and that BBVA is known to take a while to approve new applications — now's the time to apply to make sure you're all set up for February 12-14.

It's also important to get the card as soon as possible so you can develop spending habits before the bonus periods start so you won't end up having your card frozen due to any large purchases and miss out on valuable 5% cash back. Too bad I couldn't wait to buy my car with this card during the All-Star weekend, as I would gladly have taken another 5% off the purchase price.

Given the perks — plus no annual fee, the current $200 sign-up bonus and the 5x bonus bringing excitement back to what's usually a rather boring All-Star weekend from the pure basketball perspective — I find this card to be well worth it. You can also select any of the NBA teams to personalize your card — if you see someone burning a whole in an Atlanta Hawks-branded piece of plastic in February, it could very well be me.

The icing on the cake is a possibility mentioned in some forums: The 5x stacking with the incumbent 2x spending bonus with gas stations and supermarkets, making for a possible 7x points during February and June. I wouldn't count on it, but wouldn't that be awesome?

Are you going to sign up for the card before the NBA All-Star Weekend?

Featured image by SPG Moments allows members to redeem points for NBA games.